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The Race

My thoughts are over the place but I must write down a glimmer of insight that I had recently as Caleb's junior high track meet. The event was the 1600 meter race. As I watched these young boys labor through the four laps I found myself cheering everyone on. There is so much emphasis on winning in our society, but as I watched i realized that out of the hundreds of competitivors, only a small number would even make it to the podium, let alone place first. With those statistics in mind, I realized that for the boys I was watching, they were giving their all for a race they would most likely, never win. So why run, I wondered? And that is when my thinking shifted. I realized that these boys were running to win against themselves. And so, with each weary boy that passed by me, I saw them winning against fatigue and doubt. Each boy became their own champion. I stood in the stand and cheered each as each participant passed by me. I realized then, that such is the way of life. It is not a matter of "winning"--or being better than everyone else and being set apart as "special". Instead the race is personal, as we labor to overcome pains, sorrows, weaknesses, trials. Angels cheers us on and help us in the race. I thought of all of humanity, all of the good an noble souls who have passed on, and realized that our lives are but a dream. It is our job to run to the the fullest of our abilities and to listen to the angels cheering us on.

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